Stretching frame



March 20, 1934.

N. LANDOLPHI STRETCHING FRAME Filed July 28, 1931 1 i voooooooooooooooom 1 00000000000000000 OOOOOOODOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOKKOWilneu'a' WWI aw Patented Mar. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES STRETCHIN G FRAMENicholas Landolphi, Danvers, Mass., assignor to 0. Lawrence LeatherCompany, Peabody,

Mass., a corporation of Maine Application July 28, 1931, Serial No.553,515

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to stretching frames for use withstretching machines for stretching hides, skins, or the like.

In the operation of such machines the work is first secured or mountedon the frame which is expanded by the machine to stretch the hide orskin. The frame is then locked or secured in expanded condition andremoved from the machine for drying or other operation while sostretched, after which the frame is released or collapsed, the skinremoved and the frame ready for a repetition of these operations.

The object of the present invention is to provide a stretching framewhich will be strong and durable to resist the heavy strains and roughusage to which such apparatus is normally subjected, which be quicklyand positively secured in expanded position and released therefrom in asimple and expeditious manner, and which, when released or unlocked,will be prevented from excessive collapsing movement.

Other features of the invention consist of the construction andarrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantagesof which will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the followingdescription.

In the accompanying drawing, illustrating the invention in its preferredform, Fig. 1 is a plan view of a stretching frame having a hidesupported therein; Fig. 2 is a plan View and Fig. 3 is a side view ofone end of the lateral member of the frame with the bracket securedthereto; Fig. 4 is a similar plan view and Fig. 5 is a side view of oneend of the longitudinal member with the plate mounted thereon; Fig. 6 isa plan view of a corner portion of the frame illustrating the bracketand plate in operative position; Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation takenon the line 7-'7 of Fig. 6; and Fig. 8 is a side view of the locking pinwhich looks the bracket and plate together and holds the frame in itsexpanded stretching position.

The general construction of the frame is illustrated in Fig. l, andcomprises four members arranged in rectangular form with securing meansat each corner to permit expanding and contracting relative movements ofthe members and to lock the frame rigidly in the desired position. Thehide or skin is shown mounted in the frame, while the latter iscollapsed or contracted, by means of clamps or toggles clipped to themarginal or edge portion of the skin with cords extending to and securedupon the members of the frame, sufficient tension being exerted upon thetoggle ends in mounting the skin in the frame to insure its being heldsecurely in flat and relatively smooth condition. 1

The frame members are conveniently constructed of wood of sufficientwidth and thickness to resist the strain incident to use. To protect thecorners from damage and to prevent excessive movement; of the memberswhen the frame is released or unlocked, and to provide a simple andconvenient form of locking mechanism, cooperating brackets and platesare secured to the ends of the members. Thus the end members 10 carrythe brackets 12 of proper dimensions to receive the ends of thelongitudinal members 14. These brackets are attached firmly by means ofscrews 16 and nuts 18. By carrying the outer ends 20 of the bracketsaround the ends of the members, the latter are protected from jammingand splitting.

The ends of the longitudinal members 14 are received beneath thesebrackets 12, and these ends are provided with plates 22 having a downturned outer end 24 to protect the end of the member, and an upturnedinner end 26 in posi tion to engage the side of bracket 12 and limit theinward movement of the end member 10 when the frame is released orunlocked. The plates are secured to their members by wood screws 28 andmachine screws 30 and countersunk nuts 32.

The members are locked together by means of pins 34, as shown in Figs. 6and 7, one at each corner, passing through registering holes in theplates and brackets. In order to permit the locking of the frame memberstogether in substantially their exact relative position after the framehas been expanded by the stretching ma- .chine, the plates and bracketshave been provided each with a series of holes or perforations 36 soarranged and spaced that within the range of stretching movement of themembers, there will always be some hole in the plate in substantialregister with some hole in the bracket ready to receive the locking pin34. Thus, as shown, the perforations in both brackets and plates: may beregularly arranged in a number of evenly spaced rows, and the spacing ofthe rows and of the perforations in each row may be made very slightlygreater in the bracket than in the plate. At the most, only a slight tapof a light hammer or other tool will be required to drive the pin home,as illustrated in Fig. 7. In order to provide clearance for the end ofthe pin, the top surface of the longitudinal members may be recessedbeneath the plate, as at 38 in Fig. '7.

In operation, the hide or skin is mounted in the frame or toggled withthe frame in collapsed or contracted position, the locking pins havingbeen entirely removed or inserted in the innermost holes. This togglingcan be done directly on a stretching machine of the type shown in thepending application of Griffin & ONeil, Serial No. 266,365, or on aseparate table or support, being transferred to the machine for thestretching operation. With the pins removed, the machine will be set inoperation to expand the frame and when the desired amount or degree ofstretch has been imparted to the skin, the machine is stopped and whileit holds the frame expanded, the pins are set in the registering holesin bracket and plate, thus positively locking the frame in its expandedposition.

The machine is now set in reverse operation, releasing the frame fromexpansive pressure and permitting it to be removed for drying ortreating of the stretched skin. When this has been completed the framemay conveniently be unlocked and collapsed by placing it again on thestretching machine and exerting sufiicient expansive pressure to permitwithdrawal of the pins, after which the machine is reversed, the framecollapsed or contracted, the toggle cords unfastened and the skinsremoved, leaving the frame ready for the toggling of another skin and arepetition of the process.

Inasmuch as these frames with the stretched skins thereon are ordinarilyset on edge for drying or other operation, the ends of the plates andbrackets overlying the ends of the wooden frame members serve as wearplates to protect the mem bers from wear and damage. Since nosubstantial. portion of the ends of the wooden members is removed, as isthe case with prior constructions, the full maximum strength of theseportions of the members is obtained, and breakage at the, points ofconnection is pr ctically avoided. Furthermore, even when the lockingpins are removed, collapsing movement of the frame beyond normal ortoggling position is prevented, by the upturned inner ends of the plateand the inner walls of the brackets, thus avoiding the necessity ofinserting the locking pins for the toggling operation.

While in the accompanying drawing and foregoing description thepreferred form of the present invention has been illustrated anddescribed, it is to be understood that the invention may be embodied in,other forms and arrangements.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

l. A stretching frame comprising a plurality of side members havingoverlapping end portions provided with cooperating perforated surfaces,the perforations being regularly spaced and the spacing distancediffering slightly the two cooperating surfaces to bring one pair ofperforations substantially in register, irrespective of the relativeadjustment of the members.

2. A stretching frame having, in combination, a plurality of sidemembers having overlapping end portions, a perforated plate, secured tothe end portion of one member, and a bracket secured to the adjacent endportion of another member, the plate having its inner end upturned toform a stop and the bracket having a perforated portion offset from themember to receive between such portion and member the plate and endportion of the other member, the perforated plate and perforated portionof the bracket being adapted to receive a locking device in aperforation on each.

3. A stretching frame having, in combination, a plurality of sidemembers having overlapping end portions, a flat perforated plate securedto v the top surface of one member with a downturned flange overlyingthe end of such member, and a bracket secured to the top surface of theadjacent member having a perforated portion offset from the surface ofsuch member and an end portion overlying the end of said member,

the perforated plate and perforated portion of the bracket being adaptedto receive a locking device in a perforation on each.

4. A stretch g frame having, in combination, a plurality of side membershaving overlapping end portions, a flat perforated plate secured to thetop surface of the end portion of one memher, the plate having adownturned flange at one end overlying the end of the member, and anupturned flange at the other end to form a stop, a bracket secured tothe end portion of the other member and having a downwardly andbackwardly turned portion to engage the end and the bottom surface ofsaid member, and an offset portion parallel with and spaced from the topsurface of the member toreceive the end of the other member and itsplate, the offset portion of the bracket and the plate being providedwith a plurality of perforations to receive a locking' pin to lock themembers together.

5. A stretching machine having, in combination, a plurality of sidemembers having overlapping end portions, the top surface of the endportion of one member being recessed, a fiat perforated plate secured tothe top surface of member over said recessed portion, and a perforatedbracket secured to the end portion of the adjacent member, theperforated plate and the perforated bracket being adapted to receive alocking device in a perforation on each and the recess to receive theprojecting end of such device.

6. A streching frame having, in combination, a plurality of work holdingmembers with overlapping end portions, certain of said members having abracket secured thereto, the bracket comprising a perforated portionspaced from the top surface of the member, an outer end portion at rightangles to the perforated portion to form an outer stop for the othermember and extending over the end of the bracket-carrying member andturned inwardly for attachment to the bottom surface of said member, theinner end of the bracket being at rig t angles to the perforated portionto form an inner stop for the other member and carrying a flange forattachment to the top surface of the bracket-carrying member.

7. A bracket for stretching frames comprising a body portion, rightangle supporting Walls at the ends thereof, and right angle attachingflanges on the walls, the walls being of different height to offset theflanges, whereby the end of a frame member may be received between theflanges.

S. A stretching frame comprising a plurality of side members havingoverlapping end portions, each provided with a multiplicity of rows ofperforations adapted to receive locking devices in a perforation in eachmember, the perforations of each row being offset with respect to theperforations in the adjacent row, and, the portions of the membersintermediate the perforated end portions being imperforate.

9. A stretching frame comprising a plurality of side members havingoverlapping end portions, each provided with a multiplicity ofperforations, the perforations being of such number and so relativelyarranged that a plurality of perforations of one member will overlap toa varying de gree the perforations in the other member, and a singlepair of perforations normally beingin register one in each of theoverlying members and adapted to receive a locking device.

NICHOLAS LANDOLPHI.

